MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — West Virginia volleyball coach Reed Sunahara announced Wednesday the addition of transfers Athena Ardila and Adrian Ell for the 2021 spring season.
Ardila transferred from Northeastern and has enrolled at WVU as a senior, while Ell transferred from Florida State as a redshirt junior. Each student-athlete has two years of eligibility remaining.
A three-year starter at Northeastern, Ardila, a native of Weston, Mass., played in 307 career sets for the Huskies, averaging 2.82 kills per set for a .153 hitting percentage. She also registered 119 career blocks to average 0.38 blocks per set. In 2019, Ardila was named to the All-Colonial Athletic Association Volleyball First Team after racking up 265 kills and 32 blocks as a junior.
“Athena will give us ball control, experience and another arm to help us compete at the highest level,” Sunahara said. “She has great aspirations to continue her career after college, and she wants to play at the next level.”
Ell, a native of Cincinnati, appeared in 213 career sets for the Seminoles, totaling 968 assists in three years at Florida State. She matched her career high of 31 assists twice and recorded a personal-best 25 digs against UCF in the first round of the 2019 NCAA Tournament. In the fall of 2020, Ell willingly played out of position, totaling five kills and a trio of blocks in three matches played.
“Adrian will add experience and versatility to our program,” Sunahara said. “She can play multiple positions, and her physical presence is what we need to compete at a high level in the Big 12.”
